[dropcap]A[/dropcap]lot of fly fishing, stillwater, salt marshes of the south, canals in the Everglades, and the famous Tamiami Trial of South Florida are best fished on foot. Having done that for decades, there was always a time, on a good day, that I could not be ready to cast right away, as if on the deck of a skiff, and cost shots at some pretty amazing fish.
A Florida acquaintance, Joe Mahler (professional guide and fly tyer, author, and illustrator), came up with and idea to remedy walk-in ready to cast. He coils the fly line in concentric loops of about 6-inches or more so they can be hand-held. While it works most of the time, the hang-up was the coils while walking would intertwine and the fly line would hang-up in the guides. I have resorted to using Joe’s system numerous times in “brushy” situations.
Serendipitously, I stumbled over a video that finally addresses walk-in ready to cast in seconds. I have tried it, and it is flawless. Its origin Kiribati (Christmas Island). There you are ferried to narrow spits of sand, atolls, that require walking and spotting bones, milkfish and giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis the largest of 33 species of trevally). The way the guide interfaces with his charge is to carry a rigged rod, spot fish and unhook fish. Anglers are advised to bring a bonefish rod (7-, 8-, 9-weight), and at least a 12-weight for giant trevally.
This Red’s Fly Shop video will quickly show you how it works. It is so simple
[youtube id=”ZopO3mZ-KWg” width=”620″ height=”360″]
